13 Aug 2015Hyperallergic: African Artists Take a Seat at the TableChase Quinn

Boundary lines make up much of the Richard Taittinger Gallery’s current exhibit, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? — lines that, like borders, criss and cross, divide and obscure. The show’s title is meant to signify contemporary African art taking its seat at the table of the “mainstream” art world — a proposition that feels, at best, fraught when you consider the white, Western traditions governing that table and much of Africa’s modern, colonial history. Consisting of the work of 12 artists, this well-curated show touches on these tensions and composes a vision of an emerging identity, a face taking shape. Advertised as an exhibit that “celebrates the growing impact of African art on the global stage,” it is about cultural presence, identity formation, and visibility.